Steen



(No Model.)

B. L. N. STBEN.

GAGE SHEARS.

No. 598,031. Patented Jan. 25,1898.

- /a-zi lf 2 UNITED STAT S- PATENT FFlCE.

EMllIA L. NEVADA STEEN, OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.

GAG E-SHEARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 598,031, dated January25, 1898.

Application filed December 4, 1897. $erial No. 660,748. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beitknown that LEMMA L. NEVADA STEEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gorpus Christi, in the county of Nueces and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shears; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to shears; and it consists, essentially, of apair of shears having buttonhole-slots and an adjusting-screw toregulate the same, together with a movable bar or support on the side ofone of the blades adapted to receive removable gages.

The invention further consists of the details of construction andarrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide attachments, in connectionwith a pair of shears, which are adapted to be substituted one for theother or used unitedly when the work requires and intended for thepurpose of facilitating the cutting of strips of material from a mainweb having a regular width, either straight or bias, for the purpose offorming ruilies or other uses and in addition to arrange the shears forcutting buttonholes, the parts being simple and effective in theirconstruction and operation, strong and durable, easily and readilyoperated, and comparatively inexpensive in the cost of manufacture.

In the accompanying. drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pairof shears embodyingthe invention and showing one of the attachmentsapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the shears,showing the mode of applying the attachments. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of an attachment adapted to be used in connection withthe shears. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a pair of curvedshears, showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a detail viewof an attachment shown applied for the purpose of arrangingbuttonhole-shcars for ordinary work.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar numerals of reference areemployed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views,

the numeral 1 designates a pair of shears which have a constructionsimilar to devices of this class, and in the blades thereof at asuitable point and oppositely positioned are slots 2 and at the rear agage-screw 3, by means of which the said shears may be employed forforming buttonholes of various lengths. Pivotally attached to the frontportion of the outer side of one of the blades is a bar or support 4,having a rear slotted end 5, adapted to be engaged by a set-screw 6. Adjustably mounted on the said bar or support 4 is an innerangularly-looped end 7 of a slotted gage 8, having a guide 9 movablymounted thereon and a portion thereof extending through the slot. Thesaid guide stands upwardly from the gage, and along the opposite edgesof the latter is a scale suitably divided and representing inches andfractions of an inch. I In applying the inner looped end of the gage tothe bar or support i the latter is first released by disengaging orloosening the setscrew or thumb-swivel 6 and allowing it to drop down,as shown by Fig. 2, when the said looped end of the gage can be easilypositioned on the bar or support and the latter .afterward secured inoperative position, as shown by Fig. 1.

In use the shears with the attachment just described are arranged on thecloth or material to be out, the guide on the gage being first arrangedto represent the width of the strip of material to be severed from themain web. After this adjustment has been secured the shears are thenoperated to out the material and the severed strip will be of an equalwidth throughout, and during the movement of the said shears through thematerial the guide bears against the outer edge and produces auniformity in the cutting-line. The scale-marks are used in gaging thedistance between buttonholes.

As shown in Fig. 3, a still further attachment is illustrated and has aninner looped end 10 to engage the bar or support 4. This attachment ismade of sheet metal doubled upon itself with the in n eg end free andcan be used to hold the material between thetwo parts. This lattattachment is also supplied with a g1 ile 11, constructed of a singlepiece of shee. metal and having inwardlybent ends 1 2: which take overthe opposite portions of the attachment and hold the same closelytogether at the point of engagement of the said guide. The latterattachment is also divided by suitable graduation-marks into inches andfractions of an inch and may be extended any length desired or itsproportions and dimensions increased and different sizes of the saidattachment may be supplied with the shears to adapt the latter fordifferent kinds of work.

In Fig. 4 a pair of curved shears are shown supplied with the bar orsupport 4: and adapted to receive either one of the gage attachmentsheretofore described; also, the opposite side of the blade of the shearsin this instance, as well as in that shown by Fig. 1, may have otherdevices applied thereto.'

As shown by Fig. 5, the shears embodying the buttonhole slots areadapted to be arranged for ordinary cutting-work by means of guard 13.This guard comprises a metallic plate having an intermediate flat bodyportion 14, with a lower loop 15 to removably fit the bar or support 4,and an upper inclined flange 16. In applying this device it is placed insuch position as to cover the slots 2 and prevent the material being cutin the ordinary use of the shears from slipping back into the said slot.The flange 16 hangs over the upper part of the shears and limits theupper movement of one blade when the shears are open, the angle of theflange accommodating the angular position of the open bladebyapredetermined calculation. This attachment can be readily attached tobar at. or be quickly removed therefrom and adds materiallyto thegeneral usefulness of the shears.

In making these shears it will be found preferable to manufacture themwith all the attachments and accompany the same by a description as tothe mode of application and the use thereof.

In the use of the device as shown arranged in Figs 1 and 4: theprojecting portion of the guide 9 enters each hole as it is cut andthereby spaces the same at equal distances apart. Furthermore, thegage-screw, as shown, may have substituted therefor any other preferredform of device of a similar nature arranged at a suitable angle toaccommodate the proper operation of the shears in forming buttonholes.

It will be observed that the shears are not materially changed in theapplication of the device and can be equally well made without thebuttonhole attachments, and it is also intended to be understood thatthe bar or support 4 may be applied to a pair of ordinary shears, eitherstraight or curved, independent of any other devices.

It is obviously apparent that many minor changes in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of the several parts might be made andsubstituted for those shown and described without in the least departingfrom the nature or spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A pairof shears having a support or bar pivotally attached at one end to theouter side of one of the shear-blades and detachable at the oppositeend, and a gage movably mounted on said support or bar, substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with a pair of shears adapted for cutting buttonholes,of a bar having one end pivotally attached to the outer side of one ofthe shear-blades and the opposite end detachable, a gage removably andadjustably mounted on said bar or support, and a guide adj ustablycarried by the said gage, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a pair of shears adapted for cutting buttonholes,of a bar having one end pivotally attached to one of the shear-bladesand the opposite end slotted longitudinally, a set-screw to engage theslotted end of said bar, and a gage removably and adjustably mounted onsaid bar, substantially as described.

at. In combination with a pair of shears having a buttonhole-slot in therear part of one of the blades, of a removable covering attachment forsaid slot, substantially as de scribed.

5. In combination with a pair of shears having a buttonhole-slot in therear portion of one of the blades, of a removable covering attachmentfor said slot having an upper flange hanging over the upper part of theshears to limit the upward movement of one blade, substantially asdescribed.

6. In combination with a pair of shears having a buttonhole-slot in therear part of one of the blades, a bar pivoted on the said slotted blade,and a covering attachment for the said slot removably mounted on thesaid bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMMA L. NEVADA STEEN.

IVitnesses EARL OBERLIN, REEVE LEWIs.

